Mounting and leveling device for lighting fixtures



- May 16, 1967 M. EISENBERG MOUNTING AND LEVELING DEVICE FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 27, 1965 E/HWMIM WWW.

MAUR/CE E/SE/VBERG May 16, 1967 M. EISENBERG MUUNTING AND LEVELING DEVICE FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES 2 Shets-Sheet 2 7 Filed Sept. 27, 1965 MAUR/CE E/SEA/BERG fi fiyan $yda f,

United States Patent 3,319,919 MOUNTING AND LEVELING DEVICE FOR LIGHTENG FIXTURES Maurice Eisenherg, Chicago, 111., assignor to Solar light Manufacturing Co., Meirose Park, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 490,596 6 Claims. (Cl. 248-343) This invention relates generally to lighting fixtures and to an adjustable mounting device for supporting a flush type lighting fixture in a ceiling opening. More particularly, the invention is directed to an improved fixturemounting and leveling assembly which is adapted for attachment to a troffer or to a sidewall of a lighting fixture and which facilitates the installation of the lighting fixture within a ceiling opening.

Many different types of devices for supporting fluorescent and other lighting fixtures within a ceiling opening are known in the prior art. These proposed structures have taken numerous and varied physical forms, but none has been found completely satisfactory for the purpose intended. Each prior art physical embodiment has one or more undesirable or objectionable features. In a typical commercial installation where recessed lighting is to be used, a so-called false ceiling is ordinarily provided, the ceiling itself usually being supported by sets of channel members disposed generally at right angles to one another. The channel members are spaced to accommodate the fixtures, and it has been customary to support the fixtures by means of yokes, wires or other devices. Such yokes must be installed in accurate alignment so that the fastening means carried by the yokes will engage cooperating openings in the fixture itself. In addition, when utilizing such yokes, it is often necessary to dismantle portions of the fixture prior to installation and to reassemble the fixture once its shell has been secured in place. Such techniques are involved and time consuming and proper leveling adjustment of the final assembly is difficult to achieve.

In another typical procedure, the lighting fixture or the troffer is inserted through an opening in the ceiling and must be affixed rigidly within that opening. Since the opening is ordinarily only large enough to permit entry of the troifer housing, if side supports are utilized, these must be retained within the troffer housing until after the housing has been inserted through the opening. Finally, the lateral supports must be swung outwardly of the housing to overlie the ceiling support structures. It is the aim of the present invention to provide a simple and effective solution for the vexing problems associated with the installation of recessed lighting fixtures in ceiling openings.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved fixture mounting and leveling device which overcomes the difiiculties inherent in prior art structures, which device is characterized by its simplicity, ease of operation, and low cost.

A related object of the invention is to provide a recessed light housing fastener which permits not only simple and rapid installation, but which also permits equally rapid removal, if necessary.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a fixture mounting and leveling device which requires no d1smantling of the fixture preparatory to installation in a ceiling opening.

It is an important feature of the mounting and leveling device of the invention that it includes a supporting arm adapted to be positioned along or lie against the side wall of the fixture during insertion of the fixture into the ceiling opening, and adapted to swing laterally outwardly to extend transversely of the side wall of the fixture to support the fixture on a ceiling construction member.

It is a related important feature of the device of the invention that the positionable supporting arm may also be moved vertically for leveling the lighting fixture.

A further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable mounting and leveling assembly which may be used without any need for special tools.

Another important feature of the fixture mounting and leveling device of the invention is that the body or housing portion of the assembly is fabricated of a sheet metal stamping, the same stamping being adapted for use both as left side and right side mounting assemblies.

Additional objects and aims of the invention include the following:

To provide an adjustable mounting and leveling device utilizing, in combination, a threaded rod, 3. laterally extending support arm engaged on the threaded rod for upward and downward movement, and camming surfaces controlling the shifting of the support arm horizontally through to provide a leveling device in which a single hand thread is used for assemblies mounted at either the right side or the left side of the troffer wall; to provide a leveling assembly utilizing a double lead thread for more rapid adjustment to any preferred vertical position; to provide an adjustable mounting and leveling device including a housing having mounting flanges provided with asymmetrically disposed holes adapted to overlie corre: sponding sets of holes in the side wall of the fixture, thereby to obviate any errors in attaching the assemblies of the invention to the lighting fixture.

Other and further objects and advantages will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view showing the adjustable mounting and leveling device of the invention attached to a side wall of a lighting fixture and supporting the fixture on a ceiling construction member;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a lighting fixture with the adjustable mounting devices of the invention attached, and the support arms in a stand-by position;

FIGURE 3 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of the structure pictured in the encircled portion of FIGURE 2 and depicting a front elevational view of the fixture mounting device of the invention with its support arm in a stand-by position.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but with the support arm extending transversely of the side wall of the lighting fixture, in a fixture-supporting position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary end view of a lighting fixture, partly in section, with the mounting device attached and the support arm of the device in a laterally extending or stand-by position;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary top view of a lighting fixture, partly in section, and illustrating the mounting device of the invention attached to a side wall of the fixture;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting device, taken substantially on the line 77 of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the fixture mounting arid leveling device of the invention, with the support arm in a standby-position; and

FIGURE 10 illustrates the single form of the stamped sheet metal blank from which the bodies of the mounting and leveling devices of the invention are fabricated, for both left side and right side attachment.

The aims and objects of the invention are accomplished by providing in a combination mounting and leveling assembly for an electric fixture a simple and highly effective fixture-support-arm elevating and shifting mechanism utilizing a screw, a transversely extending arm threadedly from the engaged on the screw, guide slots, and caming surfaces. The adjustable mounting and leveling means of the invention may be used on any recessed type box-like lighting fixture which is to be positioned in a recess or opening in a ceiling and in which the fixture face'is substantially in the plane of the ceiling. In such a ceiling structure, the opening is outlined, preferably by a plaster screed or equivalent frame, and longitudinally extending horizontal ceiling supporting structural members, such as joists or channels are used. The fixture itself, which constitutes no novel feature of the present invention, consists generally of a trough-shaped sheet metal body extending between and attached to a pair of opposed contour end members. Trim flanges extend outwardly around the lower edges or the peripheral margin of the body and the end members.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES 1 through 4 and 9 and 10, for purposes of disclosure, a preferred form of the adjustable mounting and leveling assembly of the invention, generally indicated as 13 is illustrated attached to a recessed light fixture 15 to a side wall 19 thereof.

As shown most clearly in FIGURES 3, 4, 9 and 10,

the improved mounting and leveling assembly 13 is fabricated from a one-piece sheet metal blank 23 bent, as illustrated in FIGURE 9, to provide a housing 25 including a top wall 27, a bottom wall 29, a front wall 31, oposed side walls and 37, and a pair of flanges 41 and 43 extending transversely of and laterally outwardly from respective side walls 35 and 37. In the particular preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated, the rear edges 47 and 49 of the side walls 35 and 37 are pitched rearwardly and upwardly to conform with the slope of the fixture side 19 so that the front wall 31 of the assembly 13 will be substantially vertical in the case of a ceiling mounted fixture, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 5.

As shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, the front wall 31 of the sheet metal body of the assembly of the invention is provided with an elongated vertical slot 53 extending substantially the full length of the wall 31. The slot 53 has an upper oblique portion 55 which communicates with a cooperating cut-out 59 in a side-wall 35 of the sheet metal housing 25. The top and bottom walls 27 and 29 of the assembly housing are provided with aligned holes or slots 63 and 65, and a threaded rodor bolt 69 is .rotatably journaled in the openings 63 and 65. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGURE 10, the bolt receiving opening 65 constitutes a slot extending inwardly from a free rear edge of the bottom wall 29. This preferred arrangement facilitates the assembly of the mounting and leveling device. At its lower end the bolt 69 has an enlarged head 71 and a neck 73 of a somewhat reduced diameter positioned axially inwardly of the head 71. The other end 75 of the bolt 69 has a reduced diameter portion as shown in FIGURE 3. In assembling the device, the end 75 of the threaded bolt 69 is inserted through the hole 63 in the top wall 27 and the neck 73 of the bolt is inserted laterally into the slot 65 in the bottom wall. Abutment of the free edge of the bottom wall 29 against the side wall 19 of the fixture 15 precludes dislodgment slot 65, the latter being freely rotatable but restrained against axial displacement. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bolt 69 has a double lead thread so that longitudinal or vertical adjustment of the device may be made more rapidly.

Threadedly engaged on the bolt 69 and extending transversely thereof is a fixture-supporting and leveling arm 81 which is generally L-shaped in cross-section and includes a horizontal top wall 83 and a depending vertically extending wall 85. At one end the support arm 81 terminates in a reversely bent portion which is generally U-shaped in transverse section and defines a pair of spaced parallelly disposed webs or tabs 89 and 91 (FIGURE 4-). The webs 89 and 91 have vertically aligned tapped holes 95 75 which threadedly received the bolt 69 in engagement for moving the support arm 31 longitudinally of the bolt as the threaded bolt 69 is turned by means of a conventional screw driver which is received in a slot 99 of the head 71 of the screw 69, in the conventional manner. The support arm 81, threadedly attached to the elevating and lowering screw 69, extends transversely through the slot 53 of the assembly housing 25, the sides of the slot 53 comprising guides or stops to restrict and to control the movement of the support arm and to preclude lateral displacement. However, as the bolt 69 is rotated in a direction to drive the support arm 81 upwardly, the arm 81 contacts and bears against the upper edge 103 of the slot opening. The edge 103 extends obliquely upwardly and comprises, in combination with the upper edge 105 of the cut-out 59 in the sidewall 35 of the assembly housing, a camming surface or lobe whereby as the arm 81 continues to move upwardly, it is caused to pivot in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from below in FIGURE 9. As seen in FIGURE 9, the arm 31 is in its upwardly extreme position and has entered the cut-out 59 in the sidewall 35 of the assembly housing 25. In this position, as illustrated in FIGURES 2, 3, and 5, the arm 81 extends alongsideand parallel to the side wall 19 of the electric fixture 15, in a stand-by position.

Conversely, as the bolt 69 is rotated in the opposite direction to lower the support arm 81, the lower edge 107 of the cut-out 59 and the lower edge of the wall structure defining the oblique slot 55 functions as a cam surface to swing the support arm 81 horizontally through 90 to enter the elongated slot 53. Continued rotation of the bolt 69 will then cause the support arm 81 to move downwardly within the slot 53. As clearly illustrated in FIG- URE 9, the free end of the downwardly depending wall 85 of the support arm 81 takes generally the form of a flag or plate the lower edge of which is adapted for resting upon a ceiling supporting horizontal surface such as a structural support member 109.

The mounting and leveling assembly 13 of the invention is, in the preferred embodiment of'the invention illustrated, attached to the sidewall 19 of a fixture by means of self-tapping metal screws, nut and bolts 123, or the like received in pre-punched holes in the flanges 41 and 43 of the assembly and in the side wall 19 of the fixture.

In accordance with the practice of the invention, when the support arms 81 are in their stand-by positions, that is, extending substantially parallel to the sidewall 19 of the fixture, the arms should preferably extend outwardly towards the ends of the fixtures as clearly illustrated in FIGURE 2. Accordingly, both left and right mounting and leveling assemblies are required. In order to ensure that the correct assembly is aflixed at any given position on the sidewall 19 of the fixture 15, the pre-punched mounting holes in the flanges 41 and 43 and the corresponding holes in the sidewall 19 of the fixture 15 are asymmetrically disposed, as shown in FIGURE 2, so that only the correct assembly 13 can be attached at any given end of the fixture sidewall 19.

It is an important feature of the invention that both the left-handed blank 23. Referring now to FIGURE 10, it is clear that that depicted in FIGURE 9 is formed, it being understood that the panels 41 and 43 are bent to extend laterally outwardly of the panels 35 and 37. The final structure may be referred to as a left side element. Alternatively, to produce a right side element, the side wall sections 35 and 37 and the upper and lower walls 27 and 29 of the blank 23 are bent forwardly with respect to the front panel 31. Again, the flanges 41 and 43 are bent to extend laterally outwardly of the side panels 35 and 37. Mirror image structures are produced.

and the right-handed levelingand mounting of the screwxsg devneesarefabricated from a single stamped sheet metal In installing the lighting fixture, the supporting and leveling assemblies '13 are first attached to the side wall 19 of the fixture as shown in FIGURE 2. Prior to inserting the fixture into the ceiling recess, the supporting arm 81 of each of the assemblies is moved to the position shown in FIGURE 2, that is, into a position which is generally parallel to the sidewall 19 of the fixture. The light fixture '15 is then inserted into the ceiling recess after which the threaded bolts 69 of the leveling and mounting assemblies 13 are rotated to pivot or swing the arms 81 so that they extend outwardly of the fixture, as shown in FIGURE 1. In this position the support arms overlie the ceiling construction members or channel irons 1159. The fixture may then be released or lowered so that the arms of the mounting device engage the construction members 109. Finally, each of the threaded bolts is adjusted in turn to bring the fixture to the desired level in the ceiling opening.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. The combination with an electric fixture of a mounting and leveling assembly for said fixture and carried thereby for engagement with a fixture-supporting ceiling construction member, said assembly comprising:

a one-piece sheet metal body having a top wall, a bottom wall, a front wall, and a pair of spaced vertically extending parallel side walls,

each one of said pair of side walls including an integral transversely and outwardly extending flange adapted for abutment against a side wall of said fixture for attachment thereto,

fastening means securing said flanges of said body to said electric fixture,

said front wall having an elongated vertically extending slot, a top portion of said slot being angled obliquely upwardly in said front wall and communicating with a cut out in one of said side walls,

an elongated threaded rod within said body and rotatably journaled in said top and bottom walls thereof,

said rod extending parallel to a plane defined by said slot and keyed against axial displacement,

a supporting and leveling arm threadably afiixed on said rod for upward and downward movement there- On upon rotation of said rod, said arm disposed transversely of said rod and adapted to extend through said cut out in a position parallel to said side wall of said fixture and to swing through 90 degrees to enter said slot upon rotation of said rod and to extend outwardly of said fixture for engagement with said construction member,

edges defining said cut out and said obliquely angled slot portion constituting cam surfaces for guiding and controlling horizontal pivoting of said arm,

whereby said fixture leveling and supporting arm is pivotal into and out of fixture-supporting position and is movable linearly upwardly and downwardly along said rod toward and away from said fixture supporting member for vertical positioning of said fixture.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said threaded rod carries a double lead thread to provide accelerated vertical positioning of said leveling arm upon rotation of said rod.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said supporting and leveling arm comprises:

a sheet metal element having a generally L-shaped cross section,

a first lateral end of said member terminating in a reversely bent portion generally U-shaped in transverse section and defining spaced parallel horizontally disposed overlying webs,

said webs having vertically aligned tapped holes .for receiving said threaded rod therethrough in threaded engagement,

a second lateral end of said sheet metal element including a flag-like plate extending in a perpendicular plane and presenting a lower edge for abutment against and support on said ceiling construction member.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said sheet metal body initially comprises a flat stamped blank, said blank being selectively deformable by bending side-wall and said top and bottom wall forming portions thereof rearwardly with respect to a front wall forming portion thereof to provide a body structure adapted to carry said supporting and leveling arm in a leftwardly extending standby position for left-side mounting of said assembly on a said sidewall of said fixture, and alternatively selectively deformable by bending said side-wall and said top and bottom wall forming portions thereof forwardly with respect to said front wall forming portion thereof to provide a body structure adapted to carry said supporting and leveling arm in a rightwardly extending standby position for right side mounting of said assembly on a said sidewall of said fixture.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein said stamped blank is provided with either of two reversely aligned sets of asymmetrically disposed punched holes in respective flange-forming portions of said blank, said holes adapted to overlie corresponding sets of holes in said side wall of said fixture for attachment of said assembly to said fixture through utilization of said fastening means.

6. A mount for supporting and leveling an electric lighting fixture in an opening in a ceiling, and comprising:

a one-piece sheet metal housing including side, front and end walls,

wherein said front wall includes an elongated vertically extending slot having an upper oblique portion communicating with a cooperating cut out in one said side walls, edge portions defining said oblique portion and said cut out comprising camming surfaces,

flanges integral with said side walls and extending transversely of and laterally outwardly therefrom for attachment to a side wall of said electric fixture,

a vertically extending screw-threaded rod rotatably journaled in upper and lower said end walls of said housing and fixed against axial displacement,

a fixture supporting and leveling arm threadably engaging said rod and disposed transversely thereof for lengthwise travel thereon upon rotation of said rod, said arm adapted to project outwardly of and to travel in said vertically extending slot of said front wall and said out out of said side wall,

said threaded rod in combination with said camming surfaces comprising means for pivoting said arm from a standby position wherein said arm extends generally parallel to said side wall of said fixture through degrees to an outwardly extending fixture supporting position for engagement with a horizontally extending structural element of said ceiling.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,966,325 12/1960 Puscucci 248-343 3,018,082 1/ 1962 Berger 248-343 3,051,430 8/ 1962 Halfaker 2.48343 3,228,645 1/ 1966 Zurawski et al 248343 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner, F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH AN ELECTRIC FIXTURE OF A MOUNTING AND LEVELING ASSEMBLY FOR SAID FIXTURE AND CARRIED THEREBY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A FIXTURE-SUPPORTING CEILING CONSTRUCTION MEMBER, SAID ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A ONE-PIECE SHEET METAL BODY HAVING A TOP WALL, A BOTTOM WALL, A FRONT WALL, AND A PAIR OF SPACED VERTICALLY EXTENDING PARALLEL SIDE WALLS, EACH ONE OF SAID PAIR OF SIDE WALLS INCLUDING AN INTEGRAL TRANSVERSELY AND OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE ADAPTED FOR ABUTMENT AGAINST A SIDE WALL OF SAID FIXTURE FOR ATTACHMENT THERETO, FASTENING MEANS SECURING SAID FLANGES OF SAID BODY TO SAID ELECTRIC FIXTURE, SAID FRONT WALL HAVING AN ELONGATED VERTICALLY EXTENDING SLOT, A TOP PORTION OF SAID SLOT BEING ANGLED OBLIQUELY UPWARDLY IN SAID FRONT WALL AND COMMUNICATING WITH A CUT OUT IN ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS, AN ELONGATED THREADED ROD WITHIN SAID BODY AND ROTATABLY JOURNALED IN SAID TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS THEREOF, SAID ROD EXTENDING PARALLEL TO A PLANE DEFINED BY SAID SLOT AND KEYED AGAINST AXIAL DISPLACEMENT, A SUPPORTING AND LEVELING ARM THREADABLY AFFIXED ON SAID ROD FOR UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENT THEREON UPON ROTATION OF SAID ROD, SAID ARM DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID ROD, AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND THROUGH SAID CUT OUT IN A POSITION PARALLEL TO SAID SIDE WALL OF SAID FIXTURE AND TO SWING THROUGH 90 DEGREES TO ENTER SAID SLOT UPON ROTATION OF SAID ROD AND TO EXTEND OUTWARDLY OF SAID FIXTURE FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CONSTRUCTION MEMBER, EDGES DEFINING SAID CUT OUT AND SAID OBLIQUELY ANGLED SLOT PORTION CONSTITUTING CAM SURFACES FOR GUIDING AND CONTROLLING HORIZONTAL PIVOTING OF SAID ARM, WHEREBY SAID FIXTURE LEVELING AND SUPPORTING ARM IS PIVOTAL INTO AND OUT OF FIXTURE-SUPPORTING POSITION AND IS MOVABLE LINEARLY UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY ALONG SAID ROD TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID FIXTURE SUPPORTING MEMBER FOR VERTICAL POSITIONING OF SAID . FIXTURE. 